The Breakfast Club – INTERVIEW: Jeffrey St. Arromand, Tricia Lee & Ryan Serhant On Balancing Careers, Disappointments + More

Date: December 10, 2025
Host(s): DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, Charlamagne Tha God
Guests: Ryan Serhant, Tricia Lee, Jeffrey St. Arromand (Stars of "Owning Manhattan" Season 2, Netflix)

Episode Overview

In this engaging episode, The Breakfast Club welcomes Ryan Serhant, Tricia Lee, and Jeffrey St. Arromand—stars of Netflix’s "Owning Manhattan"—to discuss the realities behind luxury real estate, media portrayal versus hard work, personal and professional challenges, and the evolution of representation within the industry. The conversation moves fluidly between honest career advice, emotional truths, the nitty-gritty of real estate deal-making, and the personal impact of life on and off camera.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Reality of Real Estate TV & Building The Brand

• Media vs. Reality:

  • Serhant clarifies the misconception that real estate reality TV is not rooted in authentic sales work:

    “The TV’s like, the last thing. He’s a real agent.” (Ryan Serhant, 03:35)

  • The transition from "Million Dollar Listing" to a more character-driven show:

    “Today, everything is in the palm of your hand... So the shows now are no longer about the access. If you want to make a real estate show and all you have is real estate, no one cares.” (Ryan Serhant, 04:52)

• Owning Manhattan’s Unique Approach:

  • The show succeeds by focusing on the personalities and stories within the firm—unlike canceled peers—grounding the spectacle in authentic experience (05:44).

2. State of the Market & Creative Strategies for Buyers

• Current Market Assessment:
  • Despite a challenging market, Serhant and Lee agree that opportunities persist, especially during the off-season:

    “I think the time is really now… this is when you can get deals. Things that… have been sitting on the market… you can be more aggressive as a buyer.” (Ryan Serhant, 06:27)

• Advice for First-Time Buyers:
  • Lee advocates for co-ownership and creative ways to break into property ownership, especially in high-priced urban markets:

    “The best help… is to buy together and to get creative about it.” (Tricia Lee, 08:27)

    • Serhant adds: “Co ownership for the younger generation is becoming a thing… that we have never done before.” (09:01)

3. The Pressure & Visibility of Being on TV

• Personal Pressures:
  • The cast discusses how their business decisions and vulnerabilities are visible to a global audience:

    “The show is uncomfortably authentic… the show watches us in real time, whether deals get done or not, whether people are happy or not… all three of us have some sort of mental breakdown this season on camera...” (Ryan Serhant, 10:01)

  • Lee reflects on representing as a Black woman in luxury real estate and the freedom to be multidimensional:

    “I created this pressure for myself that I had to… release to really give myself that freedom… I’ll give you the realness of who I am, but I’ll also give you all the layers of who I am…” (Tricia Lee, 11:11)

4. Behind-the-Scenes Realities & Work Ethic

• Misconceptions About Glamour:
  • Real estate is far from instant glamour—long periods without pay, constant rejection, and the grind:

    “There are times when you work for months… without getting paid.” (Ryan Serhant, 14:55) “Six months. And it was no money at all.” (Tricia Lee, 15:10)

• Impact of TV Show on Work:
  • Listings are filmed in real time, so deals are not guaranteed to close on camera—failures are public (15:54).
• Team and Time Management:
  • The importance of support systems, early starts, and time audits for productivity:

    “Everyone’s got the same amount of hours... Do a time audit…” (Ryan Serhant, 17:35)

5. Navigating Social Media and Influence

• Maintaining Focus:
  • The team emphasizes keeping “the main thing the main thing”—real estate comes before any influencer opportunities or TV fame:

    “Our main thing is real estate. That’s what we focus on… If something else comes along… then that’s the main thing.” (Ryan Serhant, 19:17)

• Agents as Influencers:
  • The evolution of agent branding via social media and virtual tours, and why video marketing is essential for client engagement (20:29).

6. Coping With Loss, Disappointments, and High-Stakes Deals

• Memorable Lost Deals:
  • Serhant recounts missing out on a nearly billion-dollar sale due to the pandemic:

    “We had a contract out for just under $990 million… people started getting sick… the deal gets put on ice, and the deal dies… And I think about that deal dying.” (Ryan Serhant, 25:29)

  • Lee and St. Arromand share stories of lost deals and adapting to fail fast, learning to be less emotionally attached:

    “I had to figure out how to fail a lot faster… learning how to fail fast.” (Tricia Lee, 30:00)

7. Vulnerability, Representation, and Personal Growth

• On-Show Vulnerability:
  • Lee elaborates on why she chose to open up about her personal history and struggles, citing the need to provide a relatable example for others:

    “If you understand their origin story, then everything else makes sense… I felt like, okay, let me explain a little bit about who I am, and the things I’ve come to learn about myself.” (Tricia Lee, 32:16)

  • Her sense of responsibility:

    “I’ve always felt like if they ever give you the mic, then you should make sure that other Black girls feel seen... I’d rather cry and tell you my dirty laundry and tell you who I am…” (Tricia Lee, 33:26)

8. Workplace Culture & Ambition

• Ambition vs. Ego:
  • Serhant underscores the importance of a one-strike policy to curtail toxic behavior, and leading by example to encourage healthy ambition:

    “We have a one strike policy for behavior. If you do not understand the difference between being ambitious and being aggressive, you cannot work here…” (Ryan Serhant, 42:11)

  • Lee and St. Arromand share their origin story as colleagues who became partners in life and work, highlighting the collaborative nature of their success (43:27 – 44:53).

9. Appreciation for the Profession & Realistic Outcomes

• The Toughness of the Industry:
  • Host DJ Envy shares his changed perception after watching his daughter struggle through her first sales:

    “By the time everybody got paid, she got $900… we celebrated, we celebrated like 9 million.” (DJ Envy, 45:12)

    • Lee adds: “I got $1,100. Six months, $1,100.” (45:14)
• Attrition Rate:
  • Lee mentions: “They say 90% of New York State real estate licenses are not renewed.” (Tricia Lee, 45:34)
  • Serhant: “Whoever’s still in the business now, you know that they’re good.” (45:41)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Authenticity and Vulnerability:

  • “Someone said to me yesterday the show is uncomfortably authentic… the show watches us in real time, whether deals get done or not, whether people are happy or not, whether things are going our way or not.” (Ryan Serhant, 10:01)

• On The Myth of TV Glamour:

  • “There’s so much work that we do, we never get paid for… the assumption is when you look really great, maybe Ryan will hire you, and then you’ll end up on the show… it’s the complete opposite business plan.” (Tricia Lee, 15:14)

• On Handling Criticism and Stress:

  • “You have to… understand that people never really grow up. They’re just disguised as like 40-year-old men… and they don’t know who else to take it out on, so they take it out on you…” (Ryan Serhant, 35:19)

• On Building Inclusive Representation:

  • “If they ever give you the mic, then you should make sure that other Black girls feel seen… I’d rather cry and tell you my dirty laundry and tell you who I am…” (Tricia Lee, 33:26)

• On Perseverance:

  • “I had to figure out how to fail a lot faster… learning how to fail fast.” (Tricia Lee, 30:00)
  • “If you put in the work, if you’re good to people, you follow up. You can have a completely limitless career.” (Ryan Serhant, 26:23)

• On Work-Life Balance and Mental Health:

  • “There’s just, like, a lot of this, and I have no one to talk to because everyone is biased… and then I just lost it. And then the cameras are there. I’m like, oh Jesus.” (Ryan Serhant, 37:25)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 03:09: DJ Envy thanks Ryan Serhant for helping his daughter start her real estate career
• 04:39: Discussion about the evolution of real estate TV
• 06:27: Current market conditions and advice for buyers
• 08:27: Recommendations for first-time/budgeted buyers and collective ownership
• 10:01: The pressures of being authentic on TV
• 11:11: Tricia Lee’s personal pressure as a Black woman in real estate
• 14:55: Realities of unpaid work and grind in real estate
• 17:35: Serhant’s time management advice
• 19:17: How the cast handles social media noise and maintains professional priorities
• 25:29: Serhant’s story of losing a nearly $1B deal
• 30:00: Lee’s philosophy on “failing fast”
• 33:26: Tricia Lee on the importance of being an example for Black girls
• 35:19: How the team processes and absorbs client frustrations
• 37:25: Ryan Serhant’s emotional season finale moment
• 42:11: Creating a culture where ambition doesn’t become ego
• 45:12: DJ Envy’s change in perspective after his daughter’s first deal
• 45:34: Real estate’s high attrition rate

Tone and Style

True to The Breakfast Club, the conversation is lively, honest, witty, and sometimes vulnerable. The guests blend motivational insights with candid tales of struggle, persistence, and personal triumph. The dynamic interplay between hosts and guests keeps the tone both motivational and grounded in reality, demystifying both real estate and reality television.

Summary

This episode offers a unique behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to survive and thrive in high-stake real estate—and the human stories that make it both compelling TV and a reflection of real hard work. With insights from three different perspectives, listeners will come away understanding the grit, resilience, and evolving representation within luxury real estate, as well as invaluable career lessons that extend far beyond buying and selling property.